The Framers Forum

Hi there,

I'm new to matting and framing, and I'm trying to decide on matting and framing choices for two giclee prints. I'm open to double matting, and I'm not terribly concerned about coordinating with my interior decor as I'll be moving in the next few months. I found this forum in the excellent book by Andy Parks, The Picture Framing Handbook. Thanks to everyone for their thoughts, as I've been sitting on this art and agonizing about choices for 3 months! I'm particularly struggling to decide on mat color. I partial to muted gold framing, but I think it might detract from the beautiful yellow in the print.

Size of each is is 24"h x 18"w, or 60.96x 45.72cm

Thank you,

Renee Eckert
Portland, Oregon

Renee

Go to http://fslj.larsonjuhl.com, upload your images and have hours of fun

Good luck

With bold colourful images like these I would keep it simple, black & white

and so would Ikea.

Working on that principle, for subtle images it would be good to go totally out of the box.

Hi and Welcome Renee.

We all have our own take on the subject. This is mine....

What are the items to be framed? They are posters. What is a poster? Essentially a stylised graphic image
intended to advertise something. It's not a 'work of art' as such. It's not a fine watercolour or a drawing.
Where would you usually see a poster? On on wall.
Does the poster-sticker agonise about the colour of the wall where the poster is to be displayed?
For these reasons Any matting should be played down. Black or white essentially. And not a huge wide
border such as you would use on 'proper' art. A mat is desirable from a practical point of view to keep the
glazing clear of the poster, but in terms of interacting with the poster on an aesthetic level - not so much.
I would keep the frame flat and wide. No reeds or any other architectural details. Flat. Like a wall.
No need to make it uninteresting though. A nod toward the subject of the poster would be good.
In view of the subject in this case you could go for something weird and wonderful. Or black.

I've just done a movie poster for an obscure indie movie about vikings. I mounted it on board so no practical
need for a mat. It's mostly black. I made a frame with 1/2" black cushion. The glass sits on top of this so the
spacing is sorted. Around this is a 3" wide flat moulding which I finished using black gesso applied thick with
random criss-cross brush strokes which adds a bit of interest. I think it looks good.

Feel free to totally disagree with everything I've said.

Is the frame there to show how imaginative the framer can be, or is the frame there to flatter the artwork. I'd go with plain black too. And if the poster is big, then I'd float mount it and not bother with much of a margin at all. Makes it feel more like a poster that way.

Regardless of the original function of a poster and regardless of how it was displayed .. which was probably with plenty of space around it .... it's a print and it's a certain size and contains certain colours that will look good with certain colours and balance and will look bad with others - like above!

It has to fit in to certain surroundings and the decision is made by the customer - if you happen to be knowledgeable about what is put in front of you, you can of course offer up a treatment that is what you feel it "should" have.

There are no rules really but I like a few general ones which, unfortunately, contradict those of many here but, fortunately, the vast majority of customers like.

Roboframer wrote:the vast majority of customers like.

The good news is that the customer is always right. And that the customer is very susceptible to being persuaded what to do. And if you tell your customer that it looks fantastic, then he will agree with you. And go away happy. So he's right!

You assume too much, I don't tell anyone anything, I show what I'm asked to show and sometimes I'll offer up alternatives right up to the exact opposite but AS WELL - and let the customer decide - always. Some have no idea of what they want but still have to make the decision from what they ultimately choose themselves; it's all on display, they can do that as long as it's all in stock and it's not lunchtime.

Not all customers are looking for the same basic narrow black frame, some will be open to something which makes more of the poster and creates a bit of impacts. So give them some interesting options.

24" x 18" is not exactly a large poster and increasing the apparent width of the white border with a matching mount will increase the apparent size of the poster, while the extra white space around the image will add some extra impact. A bigger frame will mean a little more profit as well!

If it has to be a narrow black frame, be aware that not all narrow black mouldings are the same, some look cheap and some look classy. A cheap looking frame which chips at the mitres, does not WOW anyone. The difference in prices between different narrow black mouldings is not huge, but some really look like they are a much higher quality than others, so pick one that looks stunning.

Also don't forget that if you are including a mount to increase the apparent size of the poster, then a wider frame moulding won't look out of place. All too often narrow black mouldings for larger images such as posters, tend to be lacking in strengh and don't offer any significant support for the glass in the frame. So a wider moulding will be stronger and will allow for producing stronger mitre joints as well and less likelyhood of the customer flexing the frame and breaking the glass while taking it home.

The image has white space around it only because it is smaller than the paper it is printed on, which was white, like it normally is; black would be bad, so would magenta.

You do not have to match the colour of that excess paper with a mount and IMHO white, any tone of white, is not good in this case, not on its own anyway, possibly with other colours first with a double/triple mount or a deep bevel .. or something, but IMHO plain single mounts, especially in white, are naff . for most things.

Not your average framer wrote:If it has to be a narrow black frame, be aware that not all narrow black mouldings are the same, some look cheap and some look classy. A cheap looking frame which chips at the mitres, does not WOW anyone. The difference in prices between different narrow black mouldings is not huge, but some really look like they are a much higher quality than others, so pick one that looks stunning.

I've yet to see a narrow black frame that looks stunning!

The frame also has to be up to the job and most customers requesting "just" a thin black moulding really mean "I don't want to spend much money" especially when they have something too large for it.

I have solutions for them though, I can give them what they want and that's usually when I find out what they really mean because the answer is metal, which, size-for-size is pretty much always far more expensive than wood. Nielsen do a range of tiny (width) metal profiles that are wrapped with real wood veneer and they are soooo expensive. Some do go for them though and a fairly large picture with such a tiny "wooden" frame around it can be very effective depending on its surroundings.

..

I would be tempted to go with something black about 20-25 wide on the face but deep may be 50mm deep perhaps arqadia 428000167 or 23316700. That will give it more impact and give it a contemporary feel. As for a mount a colour slip on a double mount will help focus the eye but I would leave some of the white t give it space to breath. I would be hard pushed to sugest a colour if you went for a coloured mount but I think another white or off white may be a bit much.

It doesn't matter though, these are all just our own opinions - if the customer is given no other options, or there is very little else on your walls to choose from, then they may end up with something you think is right, otherwise they'll end up with something they do.

I've only stated what I don't like, but I certainly stock it, and plenty more I don't like, in case someone with no class asks for it, so there.

.

Recently had a print of 'Sorrow of the King' come in and had lots of fun with every colour chevron I could lay my hands on but ended up with a white mount and black frame. Looked great... happy customer

More fun with colour but I'm sticking with a black frame

It doesn't matter in this case as it's only wall candy, but I really don't go for those colours. Though I quite like the cream on the second one, I don't like the purple - it's fighting with the picture; a double cream mount would be my choice. And I'd use exactly the same for the other one. They're a pair of prints, for me they need to be framed and mounted the same way otherwise I think they look odd as a pair.

And I go back to my oft-repeated statement, mounts look wrong on posters*. Window mounts are designed for framing watercolours - mostly I think so you don't see the edges of the picture that are incomplete. You wouldn't (generally) give an oil painting a window mount. You wouldn't give a pair of boxing gloves a window mount. So why lump posters in with watercolours?

* These, of course, aren't really posters, they're smaller. It's just that the mind (mine anyway) expects them to be 40" x 25".

Must stop this and get on with some proper work... now where's my pack of snow white and that pot of black paint

Jamesnk wrote:-"And I go back to my oft-repeated statement, mounts look wrong on posters*. Window mounts are designed for framing watercolours - mostly I think so you don't see the edges of the picture that are incomplete. You wouldn't (generally) give an oil painting a window mount. You wouldn't give a pair of boxing gloves a window mount. So why lump posters in with watercolours?
"

Do you not mount photographs then either?

they were posters, they are now pictures, by framing them in the first place you are completely changing their function, which of course is now to decorate someones house, not as an advertising medium, so with that in mind I would mount and frame them for best presentation for someones house, also bare in mind op is based in the USA, generally they like a bit more colour (color for our US friends) over the pond.